Your occasional roundup to the best Hi-Def trailers on the web, with direct links to the good stuff:
1408 – Trailer 1Dir: Mikael Håfström Stars: John Cusack & Samuel L. Jackson
Plot: Cusack plays a man who specializes in debunking paranormal occurrences. He checks into the supposedly haunted room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel and is soon confronted by genuine terror...
Outlook: Based on a Stephen King short story, early word suggests that this is a King translation that really works. John Cusack is one of those overlooked actors who make quirky career choices and always improve weak material, while Samuel L. Jackson is a living legend. The trailer certainly looks like a wild and spooky ride, but fans of understated ghost stories should probably steer well clear. It's worth mentioning that the trailer gives a lot of the surprises and storyline away... so it's actually best avoided!
Download: Hi Res (20MB)| HD 480p (50MB)|HD 720p (78MB)| HD 1080p (125MB)
BLADES OF GLORY – Trailer 1Dirs: Josh Gordon & Will Speck Stars: Will Ferrell & Jon Heder
Plot: Ferrel and Heder play rival figure skaters who are stripped of their gold medals at the 2002 Olympics and banned from the sport. Years later, the men find a loophole that allows them to compete as the first male pairing...
Outlook: I think Will Ferrell is vastly overrated and Jon Heder's Napoleon Dynamite left me cold, so I'm not expecting much from this comedy. The idea is certainly amusing, but the trailer only drew a few chuckles. I'll certainly keep an eye on it, but at the moment I have nothing but apathy.
Download: Hi Res (23MB)|HD 720p (137MB)
NEXT – Trailer 1Dir: Lee Tamahori Stars: Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore & Jessica Biel
Plot: Nicolas Cage takes the lead in this sci-fi thriller based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. Cage plays a man who can see a few minutes into the future. Moore plays a government agent who attempts to use Cage's power to prevent a nuclear attack. Biel plays Cage's love-interest, whose presence makes his power grow stronger...
Outlook: Philip K. Dick certainly wrote some imaginative stories and Next (based on The Golden Man) has certain parallels to his own Minority Report. I'm always interested in whatever Nicolas Cage does, although his presence is never a guarantee of quality (see Wicker Man's remake), but Julianne Moore is always excellent. The trailer looks like a solid high-concept thriller with a few eye-opening special effects and glossy sheen courtesy of Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day). One to watch.
Download: Hi Res|HD 480p (23MB)|HD 720p (45MB)|HD 1080p (181MB)
RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION – TeaserDir: Russell Mulcahy Stars: Milla Jovovich, Oded Fehr & Ali Larter
Plot: Survivors of the Racoon City zombie outbreak travel across the Nevada desert...
Outlook: I enjoyed Resident Evil in a disposable and brainless way, but the sequel was absolutely dire cack. Quite why a third film has been made is anybody's guess, as even fans of the video-game don't even respect these movies. Still, the teaser for Extinction certainly seems like a step in the right direction, mixing a Mad Max vibe into your tyical zombie holocaust.
There are some impressive visuals to be seen (like a sand-covered Las Vegas) and Milla Jovovich always looks phenomenal kicking ass, but trailers are deceptive with this kind of action material. The director is one Russell Mulcahy, the man who failed to capitalize on the success of Highlander way back in 1986. He's likely to fail again at the box-office with this, but I must admit Extinction looks to be the best Resident Evil film so far. Faint praise, I know...
Download: Hi Res|HD 480p (33MB)|HD 720p (83MB)|HD 1080p (121MB)
SHREK THE THIRD – Trailer 1Dirs: Chris Miller & Raman Hui Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy & Cameron Diaz
Plot: When the King falls ill, Shrek becomes the new heir of Far, Far Away. The ogre isn't happy about giving up his swamp for a throne, so he embarks on a quest to find a more appropriate heir to the Kingdom...
Outlook: The Shrek films are the only serious animation to rival Pixar's CGI output. I know there have been non-Pixar financial successes, but rarely does a new CGI offering get critical thumbs up. Shrek The Third looks to be another enjoyable romp with these characters, but not much else. The animation remains beautiful, but hasn't progressed from Shrek 2, while the storyline seems to be stretching itself. Still, the trailer is fun to watch, visually stunning, and should make you chuckle a few times.
Download: Hi Res (24MB)|HD 480p (32MB)|HD 720p (105MB)|HD 1080p (168MB)
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE – Trailer 3Dir: David Silverman Voices: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright & Hank Azaria
Plot: The Simpsons finally make their big-screen debut in a plot that is being kept tightly under wraps, but seems to involve the control of Springfield's power grid...
Outlook: Yes, the show has been crap for years and nobody realizes because of the sheer number of repeats. I know, you don't have to remind me. If a Simpsons movie had been arriving in cinema in 1999 I'd have been giddy with anticipation for a comedy masterpiece. As it is, I'm just hoping for something decent that reminds me of "the glory years" and not the anything-goes lazy satire of recent seasons.
Thankfully, the first full length trailer gets a lot right. The animation looks brilliant (a really crisp and faithful rendering of the TV show), while the bigger budget has allowed the animators to go to town with epic crowd scenes and innovative direction (check out Chief Wiggum's gun-shot). Sure, it looks like fun and there are a few laughs to be had here, but I'm still cautious. Once bitten...
Download: Hi Res (25MB)| HD 480p (50MB)|HD 720p (104MB)|HD 1080p (178MB)
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – Trailer 2Dir: Kevin Munroe Voices: James Arnold Taylor, Mikey Kelley & Sarah Michelle Gellar
Plot: A plague of monsters descend on New York and it's up to the disbanded Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to save their beloved city...
Outlook: As a child of the 80s, I have fond memories of the Turtles cartoon series, associated toys/games and the early-90s movies. The fact a new movie is being made is quite bizarre, as Turtles fans are in their 20s or 30s now, although the concept has probably seeped through to the modern generation thanks to all our multi-channel age.
TMNT (oh, how hip) is a CGI animation that utilizes a style reminiscent of The Incredibles. It all looks pretty great, surprisingly. There's fluidity and verve the cartoons could never replicate, a seriousness the original comic strip contained and the polish of animators clearly in love with the subject matter. The storyline seems like predictable hogwash and the comedy seems laboured and unfunny, but the action looks perfect. Could surprise everyone, particularly snootier critics who thought they'd seen the last of the heroes in a half-shell 15 years ago.
Download: Hi Res (15MB)|HD 480p (30MB)|HD 720p (70MB)|HD 1080p (123MB)
Happy downloading!
